Lisa Florman: Busy Semester Centered on 'Transfigurations' Exhibition

December 8, 2014

Lisa Florman: Busy Semester Centered on 'Transfigurations' Exhibition

Lisa Florman has been like a “kid in a candy shop” this fall on campus. But instead of jawbreakers, lollipops and chocolate bars, she’s been enticed by a rich collection of world-class paintings and sculptures by Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti and Jean Dubuffet in an exhibition at Ohio State.

“It is really amazing to have 60 works from this period in one collection, in one room,” said Florman, professor and chair of the Department of History of Art, who specializes in early-20th century European art.

The extensive—and exceedingly rare—collection of works of art from the “modern masters” of post-war Europe is the first-ever public exhibition of Leslie and Abigail Wexner’s personal art collection. On view through December, the exhibition, Transfigurations: Modern Masters from the Wexner Family Collection, celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Wexner Center for the Arts.

"It is unquestionably world class. In terms of number and quality, there are very few collections of this caliber — anywhere.”

Florman wrote the main essay about the Picassos in the exhibition for the catalog that accompanies the show. She also has spent the semester presenting public conversations about the art of post-war Paris, and is teaching a seminar course called “Transfigurations of (and in) Twentieth Century Art” for 15 graduate and undergraduate students.

She also, by the way, just began as chair of the Department of History of Art.

“It’s all been great and I’m very glad I’ve been so involved,” she said. “Becoming department chair, I normally wouldn’t have taught too. But I couldn’t pass this chance up.”

She said the class members have immersed themselves in the exhibition, not only studying the paintings and sculptures and researching the artists, but also interacting with the visiting scholars and lecturers related to the show. The class presented a public presentation earlier in December, where each student spoke about a topic related to one of the pieces in the exhibition.

For example, one student—an architecture major—discussed Picasso’s representation of space in one of the paintings, and compared it with issues of that period in architecture. Another, whose sister has autism, talked about Dubuffet’s interest in children’s art. And still another looked at Dubuffet’s latest paintings and what they might tell us about the artist’s Utopian vision and the consumer culture of the time.

Transfigurations: Modern Masters from the Wexner Family Collection fills the Wexner Center’s four principal galleries, and continues until Dec. 31. It is curated by Rob Storr, dean of the Yale University School of Art and former senior curator at MoMA.

Once the exhibition closes, Florman predicts she’ll experience a big letdown. “The exhibition has been the center of my universe, and I’m pretty sure I’ll have some sort of ‘post-partum depression’ when it’s gone,” she said. “It’s been a remarkably good first semester for me as chair. Relentless. But all good.”

—Victoria Ellwood